Blinken Discusses Human Rights and Taiwan Strait with China

The U.S. State Department indicated that "Secretary Antony Blinken raised concerns about human rights issues in China during a meeting with senior Chinese official Liu Jianchao in Washington on Friday," adding that they also discussed "maintaining peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait. Senior American and Chinese officials have recently engaged in regular discussions to keep communication lines open between the world's two largest economies. The meeting on Friday took place a day before elections in Taiwan, which test efforts to ease tensions between the United States and China. The United States is Taiwan's most significant international supporter and arms supplier, although Washington does not officially recognize its government and maintains formal relations only with Beijing. The State Department's statement noted that Blinken "emphasized the importance of resolving the issue of American citizens unjustly detained or subject to exit bans in China and raised U.S. concerns regarding (China's) human rights violations." It added, "The Secretary stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea." The department stated that both sides also discussed North Korea's actions, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the situation in the Red Sea and the Middle East, where observers are concerned about the expansion of the Israeli war in Gaza following U.S. and British strikes in Yemen.